Was There One You Saw too Closely?
by baichan
Summary: Robin whole life has been balancing, alwys standing on the line of life and death, coming close but never completely crossing that line. Someone's waiting for him too, ready to welcome him. His friends catch glimpses of her.
1. Kaldur

**Song - Fix You by Coldplay**

**Please review!**

* * *

And_ the tears come streaming down your face  
When you lose something you can't replace  
When you love someone, but it goes to waste  
Could it be worse?_

Kaldur was the one who saw her first.

Her hair was black and it barely touched her shoulders. It was thick and curled slightly, giving an almost wind swept look that framed her pale face perfectly, bringing her deep blue eyes out,_ (especially with her dark thick eyelashes) _and contrasting with her pale skin_ (the kind that looks soft to touch but it was so pale). _She looked nice, maybe even warm, but for some reason that was the wrong word for her, because there was _something_ very –_wrongunnaturalfrightening-_ strange about her.

She was in an alley watching them, _(no she was staring at some__**one **__her eyes glued to them, unmoving)_ almost hidden in the shadows, except for the fact that her skin was so pale and her hair had a slight reflection to it.

Thinking she was a civilian and maybe even a witness he began to approach her, but Connor said something to him, and it sounded so urgent and _emotionally distraught _for the clone boy that he turned his head to look at him and listen.

"K-kaldur. Robin, he-" Connor paused and swallowed and were those _tears_ "he's not breathing, his heart_ stopped._"

Kaldur's eyes widened and he began running in the direction where he knew Robin was _(had just seen him, left him there, and he had been __**laughing**__)_, and he was there but he _wasn't_, because Artemis was doing reps, _(shouldn't he be doing them)_ and counting_ (100 a minute)_. She was at 64 when Connor gasped, and then at 66 there was a gasp as the boy wonder started breathing.

M'gann hugged him crying and he was trying to catch his breath in big gulps but he smiled, he _smiled_ and hugged her back.

Everybody had tears in their eyes even boy wonder _(probably in pain) _who was chuckling weakly and wrapping his arms around M'gann and Artemis _(who had immediately joined the hug)._

Then Wally wrapped his arms around Robin chanting mumbles-

_'-'_

-and Connor wiped his eyes, the fight and rage and frustration_ (because he did__** not **__understand how someone so close can die and __**leave **__you, but he did, breathing stops, the heart stops, and the brain and __**everything**__ just __**stops **__and __**dies**__)_ that had his muscles tensed and prepared to destroy and smash and **punchpunchpunch.**

Kaldur hesitates for a second, if only to glance to see if the woman is still there, _(because like Robin he's a soldier, trained and raised)_, and when she's not he approaches the group _(his team his family)_ which is easy because he's already so close and on the ground _(when did he fall to his knees)_ and joins in embracing their youngest, welcoming him back to life and the land _(and waters)_ of the living.

Robin's hugging them all back and his eyes, _(that have to be so tired)_ are flickering to each of his teammates then glancing at the domino mask in tatters on the ground beside him.

_(eyes so blue, skin so pale, hair so black)_

When they get up to leave it is Kaldur carrying him to the bio ship for some reason _(instead of M'gann or Connor or Wally who could him run him to the Mountain, maybe it's to make up for not being the person to administrate CPR) _and his eyes are almost closed, there was blood on the corner of his mouth, and his breathing was ragged and strained,_ (yet all he want to do is stop and hold the injured child closer)_ but his eyes, his_ eyes_, _(so blue, so __**deep**__ blue, and framed with black lashes and hair) _were focused on the spot in the alley.

The boy wonder licks his dry lips and his mouth forms around a word, but never says it, and instead he looks at Kaldur, smiles, and as his eyes slide shut he barely rasps out.

_'Did ya see her?'_

Then he's unconscious and Kaldur runs as fast as he can _(but he's no speedster) _to the bio ship, only comforted by the beating heart.

Later when the boy is more conscious Kaldur asks about the lady.

Everybody looks at him like he's crazy, even Robin _(who is still smiling and laughing and acting like he never died, or maybe he has and this isn't the first time, and it's a scary thought that somehow is seeming more and more like the truth)_ and they all deny ever seeing her _(truth is stranger than fiction). _Except Batman who suddenly looks scared _(not for himself)_ but no one else notices that either as Batman orders them out so Robin can rest.

_(Kaldur doesn't understand why he's the one seeing things like this when he's not the one with supervision, but he guess that's why he is the leader, for now.)_


	2. Wally

_When you try your best, but you don't succeed  
When you get what you want, but not what you need  
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep  
Stuck in reverse_

Wally is the one who sees her next.

He is running, running, _running._

Because he has to be fast enough _(to keep up with the fastest man alive to keep his friends alive) _to save Robin because he's already injured _(who let him out in the field anyway) _and even though he's strong he can't be strong enough to get back up because he was _shot_ in the leg _(not the kneecap thank god because that would shatter and never work properly again and how can he runrunru- flip and twist with a shattered damaged knee cap)_, and there's a little girl who's all wide eyed terrified _(runrunrun don't let the big bad wolf get you little girl) _and Robin's defending her from a psycho _(they're in Gotham of course because Gotham is the only place with enough psychocrazyinsane) _people to warrant the big bad Bat and the nine _(teneleventwelvethirteen pay attention years passed he grew runrunrun so he can growgrowgrow) _year old sidekick _(who were just as crazyinsanepsycho as the people they put away but instead of destroying people and taking they save and givegivegive) _running around in the dead of the night, only talking to _(because they don't trust people, but Robin trusted me with his identity because he's not tall, dark, and brooding scarily in a creepy cave swarmed with batsbatsbats) _good old Jim Gordon.

_(Keep moving got to runrunrun got to outrun the bullet)_

He jumps because there is a child's body and he feels cold when he skips _(runsrunsruns)_ over it like a piece of trash _(couldn't stop the psychocrazyinsanedangerous, couldn't keep up, have to keep up and keep runningrunningrunning)_ he doesn't want to touch _(he doesn't want to touch it at all, because he couldn't stop it couldn't outrun death, not for this kid so he runsrunsruns to outrun it for Dic-Robin)_ when he sees it _(a )_ and he pauses _(less than a millisecond because that's just a breath for him and sometimes he feel like he can't breathe because the air around him doesn't have time to recycle at the rate he's breathingbreathingbreathing and he can't suck in air fast enough but he's doing it too fast to just __**breathe**__) _she's all black hair blue eyes and he wastes a second _(onetwothree)_ because _(she's supposed to be deaddeaddead that's why his friend's Robin crazyinsanepsycho)_ before he remembers his bro Rob in trouble and turns just in time to see the man shoot Robin using his _()_ cape to cover the girl, and _just_ the girl_(and she' staring at bird boy with hugetearyscared eyes and Kid Flash knows Robin is doing the rightmoralhonorable thing but wishes he wouldn't, so he could just crawljump__**run**__ out of the way to save himself, and just wishes he would movemovemove) _and Kid Flash can see _(but he can't move, he's stuckstuckstuck) _Robin whisper _'Close your eyes and don't open them'_ and the kid follows direction right when the bullet hit.

_SPLAT _

And then he's moving because it didn't go splat, his friend was still _(barely)_ standing.

The he's moving _(runningrunningrunning)_ and he knocks out the perp _(psychocrazyinsanenutjob) _and grabs Robin and the girl, then they're outside _(in a flash)_ and he leaves the girl with the police before they even see him_ (so fast in flash can you outrun death)_, then they're on the bio ship, and he gulps in air _(can't breathebreathebreathe)_ and then M'gann is there already there, then Supey, then Kaldur, then Artemisand he screams at her_ (in rage because she was too slow too slowtooslow-) _and then he's yelling at M'gann (_because they need to leave_ _fastfastfast)_ and he's _moving_ fast _(vibratingmolecules__**phaseing**__) _and then he gets an idea _(in the name if science) _he's ripping apart Robin's suit shirt and he shouts at Connor to see where the bullet is and Connor just loo

ks at him confused _(too slow too slowtoo__**fast**__) _so he screams it again _(because he can't go slow, not now have to movemovemove and out run death)_and Connor flinches _(Boy of Steel flinches)_ but gets the jist of it and does it and tells him where_ (so slowtooslow that he almost doesn't understand because he needs to move fastfastfaster)_ and quickly he turns and vibrates his fingers _(thank god it's not deep enough to hurt anything but if he doesn't get this out now gravity will pushpushpush and he will die too soontoofast because he was too slow) _through grabs the bullet and pulls _(don't rip anythingdon't rip anything) _and it comes out but Robin is screamingscreaming_screaming_ through gritted teeth because he had to solidify his fingertips to grasp the bullet and he screwed up his hand and Robin's side but the bullet is out and no major artories are destroyed so he won't diedie_die._

Kid Flash takes a breathe and passes out on the floor, afraid that he'll phase through it and anything and _everything_ solid and the last thing he remembers is a smell that he only recognizes smelling off of Robi- _Dick's_ mother's box of stuff.

But she's dead and he's unconscious.

When he comes to he realizes he's in the Med Bay. Slowly he looks around and slowly gets up to slowly look around from a different angle.

He sees Rob but he looks fine so he doesn't worry and he settles back to sleep, the scent and the strange lady slipping from his mind as in the next few days he is berated for recklessly attempting _(not attempting- doing __**successfully**__)_ surgery and burning all his energy away, and then he's congratulated and thanked because he rescued the girl and saved Robin's life _(probably__** definitely**_).

Only weeks later when he's having bro night with Dick at the manor and he asks to know more about Dick's parents, and Dick takes out the box to show him and talk to him about it, explaining each thing because it matters to him, and he matters to Wally, does he remember the lady and the scent, but then Dick is looking at him with sad pretty blue eyes and he lets them be the only pretty blue eyes he thinks about.

_Death tugs at my ear and says: "Live, I am coming"  
Oliver Wendell Holmes_


	3. Artemis

**Song: Viva la Vida- Coldplay**

* * *

_Be my mirror, my sword and shield  
My missionaries in a foreign field_

Artemis is grateful when she sees her.

She was aiming, bow stretching taking in a deep breath and settling to aim _(because this had to be perfect)_.

Robin looks beat up and he probably is, just a little bit. But most of it is fake, his costume is in tatters and he doesn't have his belt or cape.

He was a perfect target, a sitting duck, meant to draw out the assassin that was after him.

Her job was to stop whatever projectile or person that was after him.

_(She knew who it was because the cat was after the canary, or in this case, the robin)_

She took a deep breath.

And focused.

She didn't think, just breathed her movements nice and slow, tense and taut like the string of her bow, pulled back resting against her lip while she sat in her hiding place among the shadows.

_(Because the arrow needed to be fast but right now she needed to be calm and collected and still, she needs to be ready)_

Robin falls to the ground and she knows it's fake but it looks so real.

She hears a breath besides her, and the jitters she has calms and she fills with a need to do this right.

_'Protect my baby'_

She doesn't turn her head.

Something flashes and she snaps to attention and lets the bow go.

It knocks the sai _(Cheshire) _out of the air and she hears a rustle and grunts as Kid Flash takes her down.

Finally she allows herself to turn and she sees calm blue eyes, like an undisturbed lake.

She blinks and the image is gone and suddenly Robin's behind her and if the women's eyes were calm and accepting like a still lake then Robin's eyes were the sky, filled with emotions numerous and readable like stars on a clear night and brightness like the sun in a clear, blue sky.

Taking in a breath she realizes she's shaking and she pulls Robin into a hug because she did her job, completed the mission.

She saved someone's child like no one did for her.

_(Cheshire, where's Jade?)_

When it's silent on the bio ship the voice echoes in her mind and M'gann gives her a curious_ (curiouser and curiouser)_ look.

She wants to ask Robin and she swears she will the next day.

She doesn't.


	4. M'gann

M'gann didn't know what it was.

_(Circus tents, the smell of buttery popcorn, air whipping in her face)_

But every night she dreamt of a place she had only been to once.

_(The sound of a train, laughter, hits and pulls as bodies fly through the air on the trapeze)_

It was strange and the memories were different. She wasn't as familiar with the place. Never wore a big white dress or felt _love _like that.

_(A child small and smiling, chubby precious hands and cheeks, adoration of a man's familiar eyes)_

They were someone else's and she could only sense their presence in fleeting passes. Robin will be laughing with KF and she would stop what she was doing sensing the intruding presence before it just... _Disappeared._

_(Laughter and love and hugs and kisses)_

Tonight was the one with the most clarity -

_(Flying through the air-)_

- and -

_(- just kissed her little boy's forehead -)_

_- _love -

_(- didn't realize it was -)_

_-_ and -

_(- goodbye)_

_- _horror.

_(Ropes snapping, realization, reaching out for her son, recognition of hopelessness, rejoining her husband on the ground)_

M'gann had woken body thrumming prepared to fall, so close to the ground, only to realize she was in her bed. Blinking she noticed she was crying, lashes wet and hands trembling she wipes them away.

It's too early but she gets up. The presence is strong and she feels it in the kitchen. It's hovering, staying, distracting her from the nightmare.

_(Broken bodies hurt but the look in her son's eyes will haunt her until the end of time)_

M'gann is not the only one awake.

Robin is up and sitting on the couch. The tv is off and it's dark.

She hears sniffles.

Her footsteps are silent and his head snaps up only when she turns the light on.

"Robin?"

His eyes -

_(Big and blue and shocked and scared)_

- are familiar and she realizes they are the ones from the nightmare.

Suddenly it clicks and for a second she doesn't know what to do, doesn't know how to act.

She walks to kitchen and gets a class of cool water, something she's seen on tv and she hands it to him silently.

He sips greedily, eyes puffy and nose red.

She runs her fingers through his dark, dark hair and suddenly she knows what do.

"Will you help me bake cookies?"

He nods.

The third presence in the room leaves as she gets Robin talking and laughing when they make a mess in the cookie dough.


End file.
